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Nose breathing

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Eynsham Red Aug 2019 8:48am, 5 Aug 2019 4,646 posts	0 Eynsham Red I understand that it’s recommended when running to breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. I’ve tried this on several recent runs, but find that I don’t seem to be able to get enough air by doing so. The harder I try the worse it becomes, to the point where one of my nostrils actually closes! Does anyone have any experience of this, or know of any solutions?
fetcheveryone Aug 2019 8:54am, 5 Aug 2019 22,453 posts	0 fetcheveryone I’ve never felt comfortable doing that. I am a mouth breather, through and through
The Mighty Fleecy Aug 2019 9:20am, 5 Aug 2019 46,899 posts	0 The Mighty Fleecy I have a suspicion that this is one of those bits of advice which will be completely contradicted in the future! My nose usually runs too much to breathe through it
Velociraptor Aug 2019 9:29am, 5 Aug 2019 42,605 posts	0 Velociraptor If I tried to think about my breathing while I was running, I'd forget to move my feet and fall down. I recommend a vicious glare at anyone who hints that you're doing breathing wrong.
The Mighty Fleecy Aug 2019 11:57am, 5 Aug 2019 46,901 posts	0 The Mighty Fleecy Actually there is research showing that focusing on breathing decreases running economy so I’m with you Vrap
McGoohan Aug 2019 11:59am, 5 Aug 2019 40,704 posts	0 McGoohan After a reasonable amount of effort don't most of us breathe like an approaching axe-murderer anyway, through whatever orifice?
Autumnleaves Aug 2019 1:23pm, 5 Aug 2019 13,878 posts	0 Autumnleaves The only time I find that advice useful is when trying to get breathing regular and under control after an effort that has left me a bit ragged - such as after an uphill section - in a race, to bring my heart rate down a bit. I also find it useful for beginners who are working too hard, slowing them down and getting them to focus on slow breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth can stop them panicking about not getting their breath. Otherwise I concur with the others
Love Lettuce Aug 2019 1:39pm, 5 Aug 2019 115 posts	0 Love Lettuce AL makes some sensible points about focusing on breathing being a good way of focusing on pace/effort. Generally I'm in the camp that nose breathing is a marginal gain. Not being an elite athlete, I can make much bigger gains by improving my training programme/diet/pacing. Perhaps when I'm at the point that I'm trying to crack the 3 hr marathon I'll try it out...
Eynsham Red Aug 2019 5:44pm, 5 Aug 2019 4,647 posts	0 Eynsham Red It sounds from your responses that it’s a pretty fruitless exercise, so perhaps I won’t pursue it any further. Thanks for your inputs. 👍
SailorSteve Aug 2019 6:15pm, 5 Aug 2019 1,335 posts	0 SailorSteve Here’s my tuppence on nose breathing. I don’t use a watch to judge pace. All of my running is based on ‘feel.’ I’m not generally a technology ostrich, I just like running this way. I only really enjoy longer runs (60+ mins). The best way for me to measure how I’m feeling is to be aware of my level of breathing comfort. I’ve found that four paces per breath = my ‘easy’ pace, three = ‘comfortably hard’ and two = my ‘red’ zone where I’m on the edge and will detonate shortly. In order to control my pace I control my breathing. In “Eat and Run” Scott Jurek suggests using nose breathing as a means of practicing taking really deep breaths in order to maximise getting oxygen in and CO2 out. I tried it and over time I think it has helped me improve. It’s taken practice but I believe that nose breathing has helped me control my pace, particularly early on in races and on training runs. I have also found that when running on my own, nose breathing is an alternative to the “talk test” that many advocate as a way of sticking to an “easy” pace when running in company. I now sometimes set out on a training run with the specific goal of nose breathing until say halfway, then ‘allowing’ myself to ‘mouth’ breathe from halfway in order to pick up the rate of oxygen in/CO2 out, to push a progressive run or simply a quicker second half. It’s fun. In marathons I now aim to nose breathe at least the first 5K as a means of combatting the natural urge to go off too quickly. So, there’s a few of my thoughts. Nose breathing: it has its uses. Just my opinion.